By MARK REY MONTEJO
LAOAG CITY — The finest sprinters from the Big City came out roaring in a dominant display comparable to the National Capital Region’s total control of the overall standings here in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa.
But the worthiest medal of all slipped away from the hands of the defending champions in a stunning development that sent shockwaves across the competition Thursday, May 29.
Pi Durden Wangkay and Jeralyn Rodriguez stamped their class and became the fastest athletes at the Ferdinand E. Marcos Memorial Stadium.
Wangkay, son of former national team member Jonah Genilza-Wangkay, impressed in his third Palaro appearance and topped the secondary boys 100m event when he clocked 10.82 seconds – just two tenths of a second ahead of silver medalist Kian Labar of Western Visayas.
In the girls century dash, Rodriguez snagged her third gold after posting 12.05 seconds, outshining her teammate Lhynette Libranda (12.20) and Western Visayas’ Angel Villagracia (12.89).
While their victories proved important to NCR’s bid of retaining the Palaro throne for the 18th consecutive year with a current haul of 71 golds, 50 silvers, and 27 bronzes, it was the loss of the secondary boys team in the 5-on-5 basketball that dampened the impending celebration in the tournament organized by the Department of Education and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.
The NCR dribblers absorbed a shocking 76-67 defeat against the determined Western Visayas side at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena.
Tied at 56-all, Western Visayas unleashed a 20-11 run that sealed its ticket to the semifinals while sending the powerhouse Luzon team to a sad trip back home.
In other results, CALABARZON’s Sam Garcia made a historic performance in the elementary girls shot put after heaving the metal ball to 12.48 meters which eclipsed a 29-year-old Palaro record by SOCCKSARGEN’s Canny Bartolome (10.93m) in 1996 GenSan-Sarangani edition.
Western Visayas’ bet Mico Villaran (secondary boys 110m hurdles), Bicol’s Ana Espinilla (secondary girls javelin throw), Central Luzon’s Alfred Talplacido (secondary boys 400m), and Western Visayas’ Josh Salcedo (discus throw) also broke records in their respective events.
In secondary boys archery, Chass Colas showed nerves of steel and broke two records in a span of two days to make it a three-gold haul for the Cordillera Administrative Region.
